Teaching tricky topics to students can be a real challenge. But AI tools like ChatGPT are transforming how educators approach explanation and comprehension. This guide will show you how to leverage AI to improve your lesson plans and teach challenging concepts in new ways.
Step 1: Identify Problem Areas
Reflect on past lessons and pinpoint subjects students consistently struggle with. Look for knowledge gaps, misunderstandings, and points of confusion.
🚩 Look out for:
- Repeatedly Wrong Answers: Did a majority miss the same multiple-choice question? Mark it.
- Common Mistakes in Homework: Are several students making the same error in math problems or sentence construction? Highlight it.
- Class Discussion Confusion: Did a topic lead to a lot of puzzled faces or incorrect guesses? Make a note
Maybe they’re abstract concepts like symbolism or themes in literature. Or how students would always get stuck when it comes to inequalities in math. Perhaps they’ll mix up the parts of the Krebs cycle?
Focus your efforts on the topics/areas/skills where students need the most help.
**Try this prompt: “**Help me think through the topics/areas/skills that my [grade level][subject] students have historically struggled grasping in [subject]. Ask me specific questions.”
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or this prompt: “What are 3-5 subjects that are widely considered difficult for high school students to grasp in [my content area]?”
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Step 2: Research Misconceptions
Do some homework and figure out exactly where students go wrong. Look into common misconceptions for your challenging topic.
✅ Useful resources include:
- Academic journals on student comprehension difficulties
- Teacher forums and communities
- Speaking with colleagues
- Consulting learning standards/frameworks
Try this prompt: What are some common misconceptions people have about [chosen topic]? Provide 3-5 examples.
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Step 3: Break Down the Concept
Deconstruct the challenging idea into smaller component pieces. Outline the key elements, core principles, and logical sequence of steps.
🚩 For example, break down:
- Symbolism into recognizing symbols, decoding meaning, relating to theme
- Calculus into functions, derivatives, integrals, limits
- Krebs cycle into ATP, GTP, NADH, FADH2
Try this prompt: Break down the concept of [chosen topic] into 5-7 key components in a logical teaching sequence.
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Step 4: Plan Varied Explanations
Design your lesson plan to explain the concept through different formats and approaches.
✅ Teaching tips:
- Use real-world analogies and metaphors
- Draw diagrams, graphs, and visual models
- Incorporate worked examples and sample problems
- Create stories, scenarios, and role-playing activities
Vary your delivery through visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic channels.
Try this prompt: Give me 2-3 different analogy examples I could use to explain [key concept] to high school students.
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Step 5: Anticipate Confusion
Foresee potential points of difficulty and places students may falter. Prepare customized prompts, hints, and Socratic questioning to mitigate confusion.
🚩 Watch out for:
- Jumping too quickly between ideas
- Making logical leaps
- Using unfamiliar terms without explaining
Plan scaffolding techniques like think-alouds to model expert thinking. Design cheat sheets with key facts and summaries.
Try this prompt: What are 3-5 clarifying questions I could ask students if they seem confused about [key concept]?
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Step 6: Check Comprehension
Create open-ended assessment questions and activities to gauge student understanding. Evaluate if your explanations made sense.
✅ Comprehension checks:
- Verbal questioning
- Concept mapping
- Short quizzes
- Think-pair-share discussions
- Practice problems
Adjust your methods based on feedback. Don’t expect perfection the first time teaching a tough topic.
Try this prompt: Generate 5 open ended questions to assess student comprehension of [key concept].
Add follow up prompts like this:
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Step 7: Modify and Improve
Be ready to re-teach and modify your approach if needed. Consult colleagues for advice. Collect student feedback on what was confusing.
🚩 Common adjustments include:
- Slowing down pace
- Adding more examples
- Simplifying language
- Incorporating more repetition
Reflect on each lesson afterwards and make notes for how to improve next time. Teaching complex topics is an iterative process.
In Summary
Leveraging AI can help develop creative, multi-modal explanations for tough concepts. But human teachers still need to apply expertise – knowing how and when to deploy these tools is key.
Focus on incremental improvements, and you will expand your educational playbook over time.
What tough topics will you tackle next?
Which AI strategies will you test out?
Let us know in the comments!